Pretend
by BrDPirateMan
Summary: When the boy whom Shiki loves rejects her romantic confession, she asks Neku to be her "pretend boyfriend" over summer break. This complicates Neku's feelings for her even more...
1. Chapter 1

**Pretend (Part 1)  
**by BrDPirateMan

It's been half a year since the Reapers' Game, and life has never been better.

It made us Players realise just how important our lives truly are. There were good times and dark times and unsavoury revelations which were best left buried, but it was a wake-up call in disguise. A reminder that we should live life to the fullest and not have any more regrets. When we emerged alive, every one of us was a changed person.

I could go on and on about my pals Beat and Rhyme who were with me during the time I was dead, but they're not the crux of this story. The protagonists of this tale are me… and a girl by the name of Shiki Misaki.

Shiki's a lucky one, she is. Even though she had been living in the shadow of her best friend Eri, and started to hate herself because of that, she met someone who taught her to love and accept herself for who she is. And once she returned to Shibuya alive, she set out to make her life richer than ever, without fear or jealousy or an inferiority complex. I'm glad she's finally become _herself_ – who she truly wants to be.

And who am I, you may ask? I have a name… Neku Sakuraba. You know the person who changed Shiki's outlook on life? That person is me.

Before everything came crashing down on me, I was just a run-of-the-mill citizen of Shibuya with a heavy case of anti-sociality. Everyone was barging in on my comfort zone and I hated it. So to stop all the nonsense that I found so annoying, I had shut myself off from the outside world. I was like a drop of oil in a body of water, immiscible and unwilling to mix around in the society.

But the Game opened up my world. I realized just how colourful it could be if I broadened my horizons. "The world ends with you," a man whom I respect once said to me. I widened my scope and the rest was history: now I'm a better individual.

Here's the thing, though… it's hard for me to fully embrace this new philosophy. I had withdrawn from people for so long that my return to the world of the living was like learning how to walk and talk all over again. I had never felt so stiff and awkward in my life. I had been so out of it these years that even the simplest things could pose a challenge, like what to say or do in certain situations. In the social side of things I was severely handicapped.

I'm just glad that Shiki keeps me company. She has shed her fake appearance from the Game – a parody of Eri – and she's not strikingly gorgeous in real life. But underneath her plain face I see her simple but beautiful personality.

She's perfect. She cares about me as much as I care about her. Between us we have a tight friendship and a sort of "relationship of moral support". If I'm feeling down, she's there to offer kind words and a warm fuzzy squeeze on the arm. I do the same if our roles are reversed. We complement each other, like bread and butter. And gosh darn it, it works well.

When she's not lending a listening ear, or a shoulder to weep on, she's easy to talk to… she can even be funny. She's cute. I like her a lot. No… that's inaccurate. I didn't realise it at first, but after a good while, I've come to accept one fact.

I love Shiki.

I really do. My love for her deepened as time went on. The closer we became, the greater my affection for her. I can't explain it. Love is such a difficult thing to appreciate and master. If it was easy to deal with, everyone I know of would be married.

She's the closest friend I've got. I was afraid that if I told her about my true feelings for her, she might freak out and keep her distance. As much as I wanted to tell her those three magic words, I simply couldn't.

I didn't know how. School never taught that. Movies were at best unrealistic. And what few memories of my dull hermitic life from years ago didn't help matters. I knew nothing about romance.

How could I make a confession without sounding weird? I didn't have the slightest idea. I figured that until the time was right and I knew how, I would hold off on it.

But… one fine day, I realized just how long I had waited. And it was too late.

XOXOXOXOXO

I remember that day. Lunch break at school.

The weather was nice – not too hot considering that summer was fast approaching. So Shiki and I were on the rooftop by ourselves having lunch and talking about all kinds of things. She's a live wire, that girl. She seemed to be in a good mood today too. So good that she gladly offered one or two of her home-made onigiri – she had made it herself – an offer I couldn't turn down. She even had a name for it, like a culinary moniker of something.

"Onigiri a la Shiki," she proclaimed proudly, "What do you think?"

"It's good," I said, relishing the taste of my love interest's cooking, "It's a bit sour so you could cut down on the vinegar, but otherwise I like Shiki-flavoured onigiri."

She slapped me on the arm, laughing. "You sound like a pervert when you say that, Neku."

"Ha ha ha… sorry, couldn't help it."

"But you're right. It's a tad on the sour side," she agreed, biting into her own food. "Add less vinegar next time. Got it. It's good to know that I can count on you for your honest opinion." She smiled.

"Heh. That's what friends are for."

It was great how we could talk so freely and not feel a tinge of awkwardness. We were so relaxed despite the knowledge that we were a guy and a girl sitting together alone. There was nothing strange about it.

But she would say some things that would make a deep cut in my psyche.

"Hey, Neku," she said, "What're you doing over summer break? It's in a week's time, you know?"

I took a hefty bite out of my… her… onigiri. "I never really gave it much thought. Maybe I'll hang around Shibuya until I think of something… I don't know."

She giggled. "That doesn't sound very interesting at all. Wanna hear my plans?"

"Okay, maybe it'll give me some ideas."

"Ha ha… I don't think it'll apply to you much, if at all!" She took a swig of water to clear her throat. "Well…"

And the next thing she said was like a blow to the stomach.

Her face was all lovely and innocent as she said, "There's this upperclassman, see… His name is Ryusei, and… and… I think I've got a crush on him."

_Huh?_

"Sh-Shiki…" My voice… I could hardly control my stammering… "Wh-What did you just say?"

"Oh, you mean my crush? Yeah, it's Ryusei and he's an upperclassman."

She liked someone… but it wasn't me. I tried to keep that light smile on my lips, to hide the disappointment, but hefting boulders was far easier. In my entire life I had never felt anything quite like this before… so immense was the pressure on my soul, that I thought I would collapse.

But Shiki was my best and most loyal friend. I wanted to show that I cared, even though my heart was bleeding.

"You've fallen in love with him, huh?" I said, trying to sound and feel upbeat, hoping that she didn't see through me.

"Head over heels," she chuckled, blushing a little.

"I… I see… Then you should tell him how you feel…" What was I doing? I wanted her to love me, not him! What in the world was I doing throwing away my chances to win her heart? In the end, however, I could do nothing to save my hopeless situation. It was over for me.

A part of me hoped against hope that she would change her mind, right then and there, and forget that this upperclassman she was fixated on ever existed. I wished she could discern the boiling, churning emotions inside me… the fear, the dismay… the pain… and see where she had gone wrong. How I prayed also that she was joking. I waited and waited for her to laugh in my face and squeal, "Ha ha! Just messin' with you!"

But none of it happened. She just said, "Aw, thanks, Neku! I'll be sure to do my best. One of these days I'm gonna go for it!"

"I… I wish you luck."

With a constant smile she went on to describe about how cool Ryusei was, but in my self-pity, I translated that into her essentially saying how I could never be as amazing as him. I caught bits and pieces about him being a baseball player and a good one at that; any more than that went in one ear and out the other. It couldn't register. I didn't want to remember details about my rival. No… Ryusei wasn't a rival anymore.

Because he had won. He had captured Shiki's heart.

Her onigiri was delicious.

But now, somehow, it didn't taste so good.

XOXOXOXOXO

The next several days were spent in misery.

All I could think of were her words. They were normal everyday words, but together they had such a terrible meaning. They fueled my nightmares. They spoiled my appetite. They made my legs feel heavy like iron when I walked. It was impossible to shut the reality out, like an annoying song that refused to leave. My heart had sunk so low.

We always walked home together after classes were over for the day, but ever since that fateful day I found excuses to walk home alone. I couldn't stand it. I loved Shiki, but it was becoming unbearable being near her. It came to a head on the last day of school, the final insult to my injury.

"Neku, go on without me," she said, while everyone was scrambling to leave the school premises. "There's something I need to do," she smiled, giving me a cheeky wink. "Something I need to take care of."

I could guess. "Is this about… Ryusei?"

There was a slight but no less noticeable pause, as though I had caught her off guard. Those shiny brown eyes of hers widened just a little bit. But she quickly regained her composure. "Uh… Y-Yes! I'm going to do it, Neku. I'm gonna tell him what I feel. Wish me luck!"

"W-Well, then… good luck…" What else could I do? Protest? Object to her decision? I was too late to do anything now. Her mind was set.

For an agonizingly long while, our eyes met and locked with each other. We just stood there, a couple of metres apart, gazing at each other intently. Time had slowed down to a crawl. The surroundings were but a blur. Everyone seemed to _pass through us_ as they hurried away. I thought that maybe there might have been a connection between us after all. Did Shiki finally see the light, the sad glow in my soul?

No. She waved goodbye and scurried away. "Catch you later!"

It took a lot out of me to simply raise my arm and wave back, and even more effort to force a smile. When she ran off to the guy she held so preciously in her heart, it almost seemed like a final farewell.

I spent the rest of the afternoon at a fast-food restaurant, drowning away my sorrows. But no matter how many cups of orange juice I drank, the debilitating sadness didn't wash away. What a way to start the summer break.

XOXOXOXOXO

The next day was Saturday and the much-anticipated start of the holidays. But while everyone was having fun, I spent the day doing nothing useful.

My cell phone was switched off because I didn't want to see or talk to anyone. And I didn't want to bump into anyone, so I didn't go out of the house.

Shiki would have told Ryusei already… So they were now an item. I heaved a defeated sigh. Why couldn't it have been me?

My parents were out, so I had the place to myself. I was loitering around my apartment aimlessly, going from the living room to the kitchen and back again a hundred times when a series of soft knocks on the door caught my attention. I was inclined to leave it alone, because like I said, I didn't want to see anyone. But it could be my mum and dad. So I answered the door.

The last person I wanted to see was standing at the doorstep. Shiki.

"Oh, it's you, Shiki." My cheerfulness was lacking, but she didn't seem to take notice. It was evident from the small smile on her face that she had something to say. But that's odd… That smile looked somewhat… sad. I'd have thought that now that she and Ryusei were together, she'd be high and squealing like a maniac, "Hey Neku! Guess what! Guess what!" But… nope. Didn't happen.

She didn't even say hello. She just bit her lip, downcast, and muttered, "He said no."

I didn't understand.

"Um… why don't you come inside?" I offered.

Not another word was exchanged until we were comfortably seated on the couch in the living room. I watched, spellbound, as she slowly raised her glass of water to her lips and took a long sip. What was it that she wanted to say? The curiosity was hard to contain.

"Ryusei…" she mumbled, her voice trailing off. Was this about her crush?

I could have said something, but chose to stay silent.

"Ryusei said no to me."

It finally clicked in my head, and when it did, it was a surprising revelation. "You mean to say that when you went and confessed to Ryusei… he rejected you?"

She nodded miserably.

I could understand how she felt. To have the person you love not return your feelings is a very saddening thing indeed. The poor girl. She must have harboured her infatuation for that guy for some time now, only to have her hopes dashed with a few simple words. Such was the harshness of reality. Life would be too easy if everyone had their way.

However, as gloomy as the whole atmosphere was, there was a silver lining… not for her, but for me. With her crush out of the way, I was free to pursue her. There was no more competition to contend with, so now it was a clear straight road to the finish line which I had to reach.

As I gazed at her pained expression, though, I began to feel guilty over what I was thinking. I was actually glad over someone's misfortune… Shiki's. I wanted to genuinely feel for her, but no matter how hard I tried, my innermost feelings would bubble to the surface. This was my chance to chase after her, now that Ryusei was out of the picture, right? But that would mean taking advantage of her sadness. What kind of friend was I? I hated myself.

I tried to comfort her as best as I could, but my inexperience in dealing with matters such as this clearly showed. My words came out haltingly, unsure if they were supposed to be right or wrong. "Shiki, don't worry… It's… Maybe Ryusei isn't the one for you, but… someone better will come along! You just have to find him." What was that? I was simply no good at this sort of thing.

"Thanks, Neku." Her voice was small but thick with appreciation. My consolation for her wasn't perfect, but hopefully she could see that my heart was in the right place.

Then the apartment grew dead silent once again. I knew I had to say something… anything to lift the mood and help her feel better. But I was at my wit's end. I simply didn't know what I should be saying. Just before the silence managed to become too stifling, she spoke up again.

"Looks like I'll be spending my summer break without a boyfriend…"

"Er… well, d-don't let it get you down… There's lots of things to do, and… uh… you know…"

Her sad smile returned. It wasn't a cheery smile, but it was a smile either way, and it made me feel better, even if it was just a little bit. The next thing she said astonished me.

"Neku… I know it sounds a lot to ask, but…" She had a slight blush on her cheeks. "…could you be my boyfriend over summer break?"

I almost lurched out of my seat in complete surprise. That was the last thing I expected to hear from Shiki. Me? As her boyfriend? ! What was really on her mind?

"Whoa, what do you mean, Shiki?" I asked, trying to calm my racing heart. "You want me to be your boyfriend? !"

"Well, to be exact," she said, tweezing the hem of her sleeve in her fingers, "we're not really going out, so you'd be like a _pretend_ boyfriend."

Oh… So that was it. I was a mere stopgap. I didn't feel too great upon hearing that.

She hastily added, "But don't get me wrong, Neku! I'm not asking this favour from you because Ryusei rejected me. And I don't mean to treat you like a sort of substitute… It's just… summer break is going to be a long while from now on, and I'd hate to stay bored now that I don't have anyone to have fun with."

Her explanation was logical, but I still felt like a hasty countermeasure to fix her failed love life. Yeah, that's right… a quick fix. But the thought of spending much of my time with her was tantalizing. Even if we were not lovers and may never be, at least I could have her company all to myself for a little while, at least until she found a new love interest to keep her busy.

How I wished _I_ could be that love interest!

I decided to humour her request. "Alright, since I don't have any plans for summer break anyway, we could spend it together. It'll benefit both of us, I guess."

"Does that mean you'll agree to be my boyfriend until school reopens?"

"Yeah, I don't mind."

There was little change in her countenance, that same pensive smile on her lips, but in her eyes was gratitude and a hint of happiness. "Th-Thank you, Neku…"

"That's what friends are for." I gently wrapped my arm around her shoulder in a caring and affectionate manner.

And so the deal was struck between us. This very strange deal… To be honest, I didn't really give it much thought. All I figured was I could get closer to her, that's all. But that night, when I mulled over the day's events, a few pertinent questions came to mind. Would we actually go on dates? How often? As lovers, what should we do together? Was it okay to hold her hand?

And perhaps most importantly, what exactly was on Shiki's mind? Did she have an ulterior motive of some sort?

…No, that's nonsense. The boy she liked didn't want her as his girlfriend, so without a boyfriend to keep her company, she turned to me. We were only pretending to be lovers, 'nuff said.

The journey through summer would prove to be a varied, interesting one…


	2. Chapter 2

**Pretend (Part 2)  
**by BrDPirateMan

Shiki and I spent our summer having what she called dates. In all truth, I wasn't her real boyfriend and she knew that, so the exact term for such would be 'pretend dates'. On hindsight it sounds ridiculously childish, but no one knew what we were up to so there was no one to laugh at us, so even I thought it was fine to play along. The girl just wanted a friend to accompany her through the summer in hopes of livening it up.

We went out once a week, sometimes twice. The first 'dates' weren't exactly proper dates to begin with. Sometimes we would have tea at a fast-food restaurant, talking about everything that fell under the sun. At another time we may be going shopping – more like _she_ was doing the shopping and I just tagged along to help carry her bags. And if a movie came out we might watch it together in a cinema. In short, although Shiki called them dates, they were perfectly normal things to do with anyone, so it was hard to feel any kind of romance. It almost felt like we were just going out as friends.

But don't get me wrong, there were certainly fun times to be had. I enjoyed it when I was with her, and I was sure she felt the same way too. It's just that after a while, when it fell into something of an enjoyable routine, I almost forgot that I was her 'boyfriend'. More like I was simply a friend hanging out with her.

Then on a seemingly normal day at Ramen Don – a noodle shop – the tone of our dates would take on a drastic change.

"Hey, Neku," she said, in between mouthfuls of miso ramen – her favourite, "Come to think about it, we may have known each other for a while now…"

I mumbled through a curtain of ramen to acknowledge her, "Hmmm?"

"…but I don't know much about your personal life. Sure, I got the gist of what you like and how you get to school and stuff… But we never actually got to talk about, say, your family or… you know!" Then in a hurry, she added, "I'm not looking to intrude on your life, though! It's just… I'm curious about you, Neku…"

Curious about me? ! I almost choked on my ramen. Fortunately I didn't, but I swallowed it in one big lump without chewing at all. I was struggling to wash it down with my glass of water while Shiki panicked and fussed over me.

Once order had been restored, I tried to act cool, like nothing had happened, and said with a small smile, "I guess the topic of 'The Life and Times of Neku Sakuraba' never once came up, huh…"

Shiki chuckled. "'Life and Times'? That's a good one, honey."

"H-Honey? !" I stiffened.

"Well, yeah…" she said nonchalantly. "I mean, we're lovers now, right? And even though we're just pretending, it can't hurt to be authentic, can it? Lovers call each other that, you know."

"M-Maybe it was a bit too authentic…" Sweat was gathering inside my shirt but I had no idea if it was a cold sweat or if it was warm today.

"Ha ha ha… You think?" Then she continued from where she had left off. "But it's true. I haven't heard so much as a peep about your parents, or what you do at home… Pretty much what I know about you is the outside, but not much of the inside."

She was right, to be honest. I had been a lone wolf for a long time, and was never in the habit of talking about myself and my background. All people saw and knew of me was the skin of the apple: superficial and ultimately not very deep at all. It was then that I realized how little she knew about me, and for that matter, how little I knew about her, too. I had never asked much about her. We were in the same camp. Funny how we were great pals without knowing a lot about each other.

I wanted to find out more about this girl… She was interesting, but she would want answers from me first, so I would have to wait.

"I-If you're really uncomfortable with it," Shiki said, "you don't need to say anything…"

"No, it's okay. But, uh… Where should I start?" I said, scratching my head, "Well, I come from a pretty average family really… Just my mum and dad and myself." Shiki was all ears. She said not a single word. But why did she want to know all about my life all of a sudden? Not that I had a problem with it, but why?

Was it because I was her 'boyfriend' and she felt she should know me better?

I gave her a few more cursory tidbits of personal information and then the summary of Neku Sakuraba's life was over.

"Wow, so you're a latchkey child, huh?" she said at last. "I guess if both of your parents are working then it's only natural that you'll come home from school to an empty house. But… is it really like that every day for you?"

"Yeah… Something wrong?"

Shiki had an almost invisible frown on her face. Not an angry one, of course. "Don't you feel lonely, coming home and there's no one in the house?"

I shrugged, not understanding why it was unusual. I had lived that way all my life, so I told her that. "I'm used to staying at home alone till my folks are back. And I don't have siblings, so that kinda helped me adjust to my solitary life since I was young. It's no big deal."

"Oh… I'm glad to know that."

"Huh? Why?"

She replied, "I just thought that maybe there are times when you do get lonely and you start thinking about me… Too much of that is unhealthy for you, you know…"

"Wh-What? !" I spluttered. Luckily I wasn't eating anything at the moment or I could have choked for real.

"Ha ha ha! Just pulling your leg!" she said, smiling, "I was just curious to see how you'd react to that. I should have taken a picture!"

I had to admit, she _did_ catch me by surprise there. The blood filling up my cheeks wasn't subsiding quickly enough. What made the affair all the stranger was that she was nearly spot-on with that last statement. She _was_ always on my mind.

"Th-That was certainly… unexpected," I mumbled, my senses still frazzled.

She just grinned and carried on eating, cheeky as ever.

Once our business was over for the day, I walked her back to her apartment, some high-rise building where she stayed on the fifth floor. We were about to part ways at the ground level foyer when she grabbed me by the arm.

"Something the matter, Shiki?"

"Oh, no, nothing… Just…" She hesitated for a bit. "Neku… is it okay if I… uh, pop by your house one of these days?"

"Um…" In my whole life, I had never invited anyone to my home. For that matter, neither had I been invited to anyone's homes. This would be the first time I let someone who was not my parents or relatives into my place. Even though I had long gotten rid of my anti-social behaviour, I wasn't completely comfortable with the prospect of someone else entering my private zone. I wasn't quite sure what to do…

But as I looked at her expectant face, somewhere at the back of my mind, I knew that if it was Shiki, it would be alright. I could trust her.

_Trust your partner…_

"That's cool with me," I said at last. She smiled.

"Awesome! Then maybe I'll surprise you one of these days."

"Wait."

"Huh? Neku…" she gulped, looking confused, "…you… you're not changing your mind, are you?"

"No, no," I corrected her quickly. "But do you even know where I stay?"

The light bulb of realization lit up in her pretty little head. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that! Silly me!"

She could be so ditzy at times… but that's part of her charm. Having given Shiki directions on how to get to my apartment, I parted ways with her and was back home in ten minutes. My parents, still at work, were nowhere to be seen.

I threw myself onto the couch, gazing around the living room. Shiki's words from earlier echoed in my mind, "Neku… is it okay if I… uh, pop by your house one of these days?" That was when I suddenly realized I had no clue about what I should do if she did come. What would it be like? I honestly didn't know. And… she and I would be alone in the comfort of my home… What if we…

No, no, got to get those perverted thoughts out of my head. She was just going to pay me a friendly visit. We weren't going out anyway. What reason had I to think that we would get to… uh, "other matters"?

I just hoped that if she did surprise me, she wouldn't do it when my parents were in… That might be disastrous…

XOXOXOXOXO

The teachers in my school were mindful enough to not let us get too wild during the summer break, so they issued us with holiday homework of all kinds: mathematics, physics… the works. Of course I didn't like to have to do anything school-related during a time when we were all busy relaxing, and that pile of unfinished homework was hardly a comforting sight, but what choice did I have? So, that afternoon, on a rare whim of diligence, I decided to get some work done.

My mathematical abilities weren't too hot, so I started with physics. What felt like an hour or two of my time passed like water as I delved myself into the sea of what makes things work. Let's see… If force is equal to mass times acceleration, then for question 7, I would have to…

The sudden scream of my cell phone shattered my train of thought. Who…? As I reached out for it, my mind turned to a certain bespectacled girl. Could she be the caller?

True enough, the display on my phone read: "Shiki". Another date, huh? I honestly didn't mind. Physics wasn't all that much fun.

"Hi, Shiki."

"Hey, Neku…" she said, "whatcha doing?"

I felt upbeat upon hearing her voice. "Just getting started on homework… Have you? I'm working on physics now, and there's a lot to do."

"Really? Oh, that's great timing! I mean, well… I'm having some problems with physics, and… uh…"

"You need me to help you, is that right?"

"Y-Yeah, exactly! If it isn't too much trouble, could I come over now? I really need help."

She wanted to come over today? Today? ! I wasn't ready yet! What should I do? But then, just before I was about to lose it, I managed to pull myself from the brink of temporary insanity. All she wanted was someone to help her with her homework. That was all. There was nothing weird about that. Besides, she was a pro in mathematics so she could give me a hand with my math. It was a win-win situation. What did I have to lose?

"N-Neku?" her meek voice drawled from the other end of the line, "Um, are you… still alive?"

I laughed. "Yeah, come on over! Think you could help me with math while you're at it?"

"Why not?" she said happily, "Okay, Neku, see you in ten!"

She was standing at my doorstep before very long. The first thing I noticed about her was that she was struggling to hold her school briefcase properly. Even with both hands on the handle, her arms were straining.

"Is your bag heavy? I'll take it for you," I offered.

"Thanks," she said, "It's got all my homework in it, so it's kinda – Whoa!" No sooner had she extended her bag towards me did she start to topple over towards me. I grabbed her in time, but her bag was heavier than it looked, and the weight threw me off balance. We tumbled unceremoniously to the floor together in a tangle of limbs.

Pain seared across my back where it had struck the rock-hard linoleum. By instinct, as I fell I had tucked my head forward to prevent it from smashing against the floor and knocking me out cold in the process, so thank goodness for that. Shiki, on the other hand, seemed to be fine. She was cushioned from the impact because she had fallen on top of me.

…On top of me…

After the initial grunts of pain and muffled apologies, Shiki and I found ourselves staring at each other. At that moment, it was like time had come to an abrupt stop; the sands in the hourglass of time ceased to flow. Up close, she was even more beautiful than I imagined. Our faces were mere centimeters apart. Her dizzyingly warm breath caressed my skin.

"N-Neku, um, sorry again…" She scrambled to her feet, but I was so dazed that it took me a little while longer to get up myself. "I'm always so clumsy, ha ha ha…"

"Well, l-l-least you're okay… r-right?" Was my voice quivering?

"I'm fine… I hope I didn't… hurt you all that much…" Was she blushing?

"No, no… I'm okay, honest." And was I blushing along with her?

That little mishap over and done with, we reconvened at the coffee table in the living room, where we sat down to get some serious work done. She undid the clasp of her briefcase and out onto the table poured a tidal wave of books and self-written study notes. Rummaging around the mess she fished out some papers which were her half-finished physics worksheets.

I set my math homework to the far side of the table. "Shiki, if you don't mind, I need some help with math afterwards."

"That'd be 1000 yen per hour, Neku," she joked.

"I'm guessing I don't get a discount…"

For a while everything went smoothly. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. No rude surprises or interruptions disturbed our study session. We worked on our physics homework, and progress was good. In fact, in an hour's time we had actually managed to figure out how to do everything, so once we were completely done with it, we moved on to math. We swapped places as tutor and student and it was her turn to teach me.

It was after things finally fell into a comfortable pattern that my mind began to wander. I remembered thinking, _Everything's going smoothly…_ I thought we would end up chatting and joking around, but even in the presence of her 'boyfriend', Shiki could be serious. And she was a great teacher too! I could understand everything that she said, and suddenly math didn't feel so bad.

In addition to that, she was awfully cute… Now this was the part where my mind was starting to go astray. She was wearing this T-shirt with very short sleeves, and it was… breathtakingly tight… I couldn't tear my eyes off of her…

I felt a soft whack to the head. "Neku!" she scolded, "Stop daydreaming!"

"Ow… S-Sorry… It was just for a few seconds. I wouldn't do it again, Misaki-sensei."

"You'd better. Where were you looking anyway?"

"Um… n-nowhere… Just kinda… blanked out. Sorry." How could I tell her I was getting an eyeful of her chest?

She frowned at me, unsure of whether to believe me or not. Fortunately, she let it be and we continued. That was close. If she had known that I was looking at, uh… well, that'd be bad… Still, it's like it's drawing me in… I wanted to concentrate, to listen to what Shiki was saying, but…

"_Neku!_ Hey!" she snapped, hitting me harder, "Get your act together!"

"Sorry!" I cried, nursing my head. "I-I'm really sorry!"

With a cross expression on her face, she reached for the little square pillow on the chair behind her and jammed it in between her chest and the edge of the table.

She trained an intense glare at me. "Neku… you were looking at my breasts just now, weren't you?"

"What? ! No!" Better play dumb than admit and get killed. "What makes you think that? !"

Instead of arguing, she just let out an exasperated sigh and dismissed the matter quickly. She left me with a piece of her mind, though. "Geez, Neku… I know you're my 'boyfriend' but at least show some decency! It's distracting knowing that you're staring at something else other than our homework."

"Sorry…"

"On another note," she said, "wanna take a break for a bit?"

"…Alright, I think that's a good idea."

Much of her annoyance had gone by now. Her pillow never strayed away though, still wedged protectively in front of her body.

"Hey, Neku."

"Yes?"

She took a moment to think before she spoke. "Do you have anyone whom you have a crush on?"

"What? !" I spluttered, suddenly finding myself at a loss. "Where did that come from? !" How should I respond? Because the one whom I had a crush on… was her…

"Come on, Neku! I'm just curious. There must be someone you like," she giggled, growing very interested. "It'll be fun to know!" It didn't look like she would let me go without an answer…

I tried to worm my way out of this. It wasn't the right time to tell her the truth yet. "B-But it's a very delicate matter…"

That proved to be the grave I had dug for myself. "So you do have someone on your mind!" she squealed, that Cheshire Cat smile of hers growing broader. "It's the only logical conclusion if you say it's a 'delicate matter'. Hee hee!" Now there was no way I could lie that I had no one whom I had fallen in love with.

How would she react if she found out she was the one whom I held dearest to my heart? She would see me in a different light… but in a good way, right? I could use this chance to confess to her, but it was probably not a smart move. It just didn't feel right at all. I didn't want to have to dance around the issue but the current circumstances left me with little choice.

She rained questions at me, the first of which was, "Come on, tell me? Please?" Well, it was more of a demand than a question…

"It's… really embarrassing…" My face was burning. Hers, on the other hand, was as fair as ever.

"Is it Eri?"

"No, it's not her…"

"Could it be one of the other girls in our class?"

"I'm not even close with them."

Her brows knitted as she stabbed at me with another wild guess. "Uh… Rhyme?"

I recoiled in shock. "What? ! For goodness' sake, Shiki, there's no way! She's so much younger than me!"

"Ah… I figured as much. Even I thought that's unlikely." She stubbornly pressed on. "At least gimme a hint so I can leave you in peace!"

"You'll stop asking me about this if I just describe to you the girl whom I like?"

"Maaaaaybe." The way her speech drawled while she cast her soft-eyed gaze at me was irresistible. Like she was a purring cat. I wanted to hug her.

"Seriously, when you get an idea in your head," I sighed, "there's no way you're gonna just let it go. But alright, I'll tell you… Just don't tell anyone!"

"You have my word on that!"

"Um… if you say so… I'm only gonna give you a few hints and that's it, okay?"

"That's cool with me!" she grinned, eager to know the secret behind my romantic interest. Unknown to Shiki, it was herself… So it was only appropriate that the details of my crush that she wanted to know would pertain to herself. In other words, I was basically talking about her without her catching wind of it… I hoped.

"Well… she's nice and friendly," I mumbled, "and… when I talk to her, I don't feel weird at all, and –"

She stopped me. "I don't wanna know that! Of course your crush has got to be nice and friendly and stuff! Gimme something more substantial!" That gleam in her eye which suggested eagerness was extremely unnerving…

"Like… what?"

"What hobbies she has, for instance… Or if she's a good cook, or –"

But I couldn't exactly let on that the girl of my dreams was "adept at making stuffed pigs"… Only one person in Shibuya was capable of such a feat and it was Shiki. For now, all I could say was:

"As a matter of fact, she is a good cook. Still learning the ropes, but she's good nonetheless." Her onigiri was awesome.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" she grinned, as though she had finally gotten the upper hand in a particularly tense Tin Pin match. "We're getting close, but then again… there're lots of girls out there who can cook well."

Oh brother. Was she asking for more? "That's all I'm telling."

"But that's no fair!" she pouted. "I really want to know about this Juliet of yours, Romeo."

"Hey now," I said, smiling, "Why don't we leave it at this? It's more fun if it's a mystery, you know." Hopefully that would stall her.

Sensing that she wasn't going to make any headway, she gave up. "Alright, fine. But you're gonna tell me about her true identity some time soon, you hear? Every mushy and disgusting detail."

Yeah… during my eventual confession.

XOXOXOXOXO

For a while after that, as long as we still had homework to finish – and there was a lot of it, mind you – we would be at my home to cooperate with each other and do our remaining holiday assignments. With each study session we would typically do the same things: do homework until it's finished, chat a bit, and then Shiki would go back. I knew I was growing closer and closer to her with each time she came over.

Half of the summer break had gone by at this point. However, though I had been spending a lot of time with Shiki, I had not been able to solve the mysteries surrounding her. I still couldn't shake off the feeling that there was more than meets the eye with Shiki asking me to masquerade as her boyfriend. There must be some underlying reason.

In the meantime, I definitely had no right to complain. This was one of the best things to happen to me in a long time, even if Shiki still had no idea of my romantic inclinations towards her. I wanted to tell her about it, to tell her that I loved her… but the knowledge of her failed confession prevented me from doing so. I didn't want to confess to her when she was still feeling the sting of unrequited love… There was a right time for everything and I was waiting for that.

But I was scared.

What if someone else came into her life and stole her away? It would be too late… again, now wouldn't it? The future that I hoped to share with Shiki was uncertain. To what end should I wait?


	3. Chapter 3

**Pretend (Part 3)  
**by BrDPirateMan

Barely a couple of weeks remained of our school break. Time for another date… uh, pretend date.

But this time, Shiki wasn't the one to initiate things. It was me. I know this is the 21st century, where unorthodox dating practices are becoming increasingly common… girls being more aggressive and asking boys out instead of the other way round, and so on. But you know, I was a fan of the traditional way of doing things. It just felt more right.

To tell you the truth, it was always mortifying for me to be the one to be asked out, but every time I wanted to fix a date with her by myself, I would chicken out. Then she would beat me to it. Dammit.

There was a shy side to Shiki which few people saw. As her close friend, naturally I know about this trait of hers. She could be a total nutcase when hanging out with her best pal Eri, gushing over the latest fashion designs, but at the end of the day she was a quiet girl at heart who loves nothing more than a relaxing day at home indulging in her hobby of sewing.

So how did she get all the courage to do things that I know she normally wouldn't do? Maybe it was because she could never think of me as a potential romantic interest. If it was a boy whom she was in love with, wouldn't she be all timid, tongue-tied and reduced to a trembling wreck? That's how teenagers at our tender awkward age – such as me and her – are like, right? I knew I would be like that; why not her?

That thought was rather depressing… But I couldn't stay emo over something like this. If there was ever a time to take action, that time was now. This was making me feel less and less of a guy and I couldn't stand it. Time to grow some guts and be a man!

And if I was going to step out of my comfort zone, I might as well hop well out of it. A whole afternoon of positive thinking and self-directed pep talk later, I called her up and arranged a date for the two of us.

I had actually done it. But there were a couple of nagging issues…

One, I knew it was summer, but was asking her to accompany me to the beach such a bright idea? Hitting the beach was what people would do at this time, but she wouldn't think I was some pervert, would she? There was sure to be a good number of pretty girls frolicking about, half-naked in their swimsuits no less…

And two, when I told Shiki about my plans, she didn't hesitate at all. Nope. Just squealed excitedly and said yes with gusto and giggly happiness.

Was her behaviour… normal? Shouldn't she have said something like, "Oh gosh, Neku, I'll need to think about this… The beach has so many people and it feels weird walking around in front of them in a swimsuit. It's so embarrassing… But it's so nice of you to invite me and I really want to go. Can I give you an answer later this evening?"

Just thinking about my imaginary take on her reaction was enough to give me a warm and cozy feeling. She would be so adorable if she was like that.

But instead she went, "Okay! Let's go!"

Uh…

Wasn't this a bit too easy? Was there a catch?

XOXOXOXOXO

Shiki's eyes were closed as she took a deep breath, inhaling the crisp sea breeze. A smile crept onto her lips as she exhaled slowly and purposefully.

"Now this… this is why I like summertime."

We were relaxing at the beach, sitting side by side on a mat in the shade of a giant parasol. Now, if someone were to tell me before today that sweet, innocent Shiki wouldn't mind wearing a two-piece swimsuit in public, I wouldn't have believed it for one minute. She was never really the daring type. And yet, here she was in a bikini, and a sarong wrapped around her waist, sure to fetch eyes. Did spending her time in Eri's scantily-clad body in the Reapers' Game poison her mind? Not that I had a problem with it… She was hot…

Her face was ever so calm, not perturbed in the slightest as the wind billowed gently in her hair and mussed it around. "Great day today, huh, Neku?" she said, tucking her wayward hair behind her ear, something that I liked to see her do because it was so alluring.

"N-Neku? Are you okay? You're not talking, your face is red, and you're shaking like a dry leaf. You're not… sick, are you?"

I was doing my best to suppress my male urges. When the girl whom you love is right next to you wearing practically nothing… it's hard to keep still. I had to pretend to look at the horizon of the ocean just to remain sane. "I'm… I'm okay… All well and good… ha ha…"

"Are you sure? Let me see." She cupped one hand around my cheek and twisted my head so we were face-to-face. It set alarm bells ringing. Her hand… was so soft and warm… "Yeah, you seem alright, I guess…"

When she let go and I snapped my gaze back to the water again, I had one thought, _Wow._

"Hey, Shiki," I began after a silent pause, "Are you okay with that?"

"Okay with what?"

I gulped. "Well… don't you feel… embarrassed, wearing that bikini and everything…?"

She gave a chuckle. "Eri said I should try out a two-piece at least once, and you know what? I think I kinda like it."

"Y-You're not embarrassed? Really?"

"It'd seem you're more embarrassed about it than I am!" she laughed. "I'm really okay with swimsuits like this… but only if you don't stare at my breasts all day!" She shot me a mock stern look.

"Uh-huh…" Things just got harder for me…

"But seriously, I gotta thank you, Neku."

"Thank me?" I looked at her quizzically. "For what?"

"Well, you know…" She fiddled with her fingers coyly, her cheeks reddening. "Back in the Reapers' Game, when you told me that I shouldn't be afraid to be myself, that was the confidence boost I needed. Your words were the truth that I should have been facing, even if it was a brutal, honest truth." That's right… I was slightly harsh in getting her to wake up and shake off her low self-esteem. "But at the same time, there was an underlying kindness. A genuine wish for me to look forward to the future. It was the glimmer of hope I was looking for so badly… and you gave it to me."

"I… I see…" I was dumbstruck. I never thought my words would have such a great impact on her. "Sorry if I sounded cruel at that time, Shiki."

She gave my arm a friendly squeeze. "No, no… not at all! Thank you for everything. But hey, let's talk about that later, shall we?" She placed her glasses into a protective case, then stood up, stripped off her sarong and started pulling me by the arm.

"Shiki, what're you doing?"

"Get a grip, Neku," she sighed, "What else would people do at a beach, play Tin Pin? Come on, let's go swimming for a bit." She kept pulling, but I resisted. There was a good reason for that…

"Um, Shiki, if you don't mind, could I stay here for a while?"

"Whaaaat? ! Boy, you're no fun!" she pouted, not letting go, "We're at the beach! To not have a swim would be sacrilege! C'mon, don't be such a wet blanket! It's no fun swimming alone, you know."

She was a persistent one… "Um, I don't think I can go swimming with you, Shiki."

"Wh-Why not?"

"Because… uh, I can't swim."

She stared at me like I had sprouted a pair of horns on my head. The surprise could clearly be seen. "You… You can't swim? !"

I nodded, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

"Oh… uh…" She was at a loss for words. But not for long. "Well, then all the more we should go and take a splash in the water!"

"What? !"

"I'll teach you some basics of swimming, Neku," she beamed, "You haven't even swum once in your entire life? You don't know what you're missing!"

"Um…"

"Don't 'um' me! Get your lazy butt off the ground and let's go!" With a burst of strength she yanked me until I had no choice but to follow her. This was going rather scarily…

"Wait!" I protested, helpless to stop her. "Wh-What if I drown? ! What if I sink and –"

"Oh, don't worry, Neku," she giggled mischievously, "You'll only drink a bit of seawater."

And so she literally dragged me to my watery doom.

XOXOXOXOXO

"I'm sorry, Neku… W-Will you be alright?"

I couldn't answer. The past two minutes had been spent coughing up seawater. And I was still having trouble clearing it out of my system.

"Neku… Say something!"

I managed a weak reply, raspy from a clogged throat, "I… I'm not dead."

"Sorry the impromptu swimming lesson didn't go so well," she sniffled, rather ashamed of herself. "I… I just wanted to show you how much fun swimming can be."

"W-Well, it's only the first time for me!" I consoled her as best as I could, "Everyone's bound to slip up on their first lessons… I should've been more careful anyway. And… you know what they say, practice makes perfect… Look, don't cry, okay?"

She just nodded meekly, feeling visibly better about herself as my bouts of coughing subsided.

Earlier, Shiki had tried to teach me the fundamentals of swimming, and the first thing she taught was staying afloat. She had instructed me to hold on to her for support at first, floating together with her. Then when she thought I had the hang of things (I didn't), she let go of me and I immediately plummeted into the sea like an anchor. Just when I was on the verge of revisiting the Reapers' Game, she fished me from the clutches of death and dragged my gasping self back to shore.

With the earlier fiasco dealt with, we sat without a single word between us. Shiki must still be feeling guilty… and every involuntary cough I made seemed to make her feel worse. I thought to take her mind off of it.

"Hey, Shiki," I said, "could I ask you something?"

Still shy from her first time in such a daring swimsuit – and in front of a boy too – she had curled herself up, foetus-like, her arms crossed and resting on the knees of her upright legs. Not much of a good attempt to cover herself up if you asked me, since her body was still pretty much exposed. Behind a tapestry of tousled damp hair, her clear brown orbs were fixed at me in an owlish gaze. She was dangerously cute.

"What is it?"

I gulped hard and, fueled by a burst of courage, asked, "Why do you like me so much? Not that I mind… I'm just curious."

Startled, she stuttered, "Neku, is 'like' another way of saying 'love'? !"

"Um, I didn't mean it that way… I just –"

"I-I'm not in love with you or anything," she muttered, her cheeks substantially reddened, "We're not real lovers, only pretending to be… So we're strictly friends… a-are we clear on that?" So she said, with a peculiar stammer in her voice…

Better play along for now. "Uh-huh… Okay…" At least she wasn't sad anymore. That was good to know.

"But you know…" she continued, in a much calmer manner, "I like you because… well, I think you're really cool."

"Cool?"

"Yeah, I mean… you're so nice and selfless, and you're not shallow at all. I know I'm not as pretty or interesting as the other girls are, but you never once thought of me as a burden, even when you saw the real me. I know I can count on you."

My heart lurched in my ribcage. I corrected her gently, growing redder with every word, "Shiki, what are you saying? I think you're quite pretty, and… and you're interesting too."

She had a subtle and most welcome hint of a smile. "Hee hee… Really?"

"You bet."

"You sure know how to please a girl, Neku," she giggled.

"But I'm telling the truth."

"I know… You're not the type to tell fibs."

I had nothing to say to that, but I felt good. She felt the same way too. Another short pause ensued, after which she spoke up again.

"Neku, I've been thinking… If you ask me, and this is my honest opinion… I think you're way cooler than Ryusei."

"Wh-What? !" I could feel my body heating up. Did she just imply that she liked me more than the boy she used to have a crush on?

"It's true!" she grinned, "I'm serious. You've become so reliable over the past few months. No offense, Neku, but given how you were so dreadful to begin with, it's impressive how far you've come. You're like a different person altogether, and I like that."

Those were some of the most heartfelt words I had ever heard. Spoken by the girl whom I loved they held even more meaning to me. But I was also very confused. Exactly who did she have feelings for? Me, or the other guy – her first crush? What was on her mind?

For a while we did nothing but gaze at the ocean before us, watching the few people who were still loitering around the beach – many had left the beach now that the evening was starting to roll in. The sky was tinted orange and it was most scenic. It wasn't nearly as lovely as the sight of Shiki in her bold two-piece, though. She had slowly unraveled her limbs from herself and was sitting in a more relaxed fashion, and I found myself sneaking furtive glances at her from time to time. There was no mistaking it: to me, she was the most beautiful girl in the world.

"Neku, um…"

"Yes?"

"I forgot to ask you earlier, but… d-do I look… okay in this swimsuit?"

The answer to that question was obvious! "I think it looks great on you! It… uh… how should I put this?" I wanted to put in some actual effort in my compliments. Anyone could say a girl would look good; but _how_ good she looked… now that was something I wanted to briefly elaborate on. "…makes you look like… I mean, it…" She was hanging onto my unfinished sentence, awaiting my answer, but I was having trouble finding the right words. And the problem was, when I did find them, they sounded so very strange.

"When you wear that swimsuit, it makes you look like a, uh… a fruit salad! Yeah, that's right."

Shiki blinked at me, speechless. Not because my compliment took her breath away, but because she was probably trying her best to crack the logic behind it. Nice going, Neku.

However, she simply chuckled, shielding her grin in one fist, before breaking out into all-out laughter.

"Well, I know I'm not a sweet talker…" I admitted in a self-deprecating manner, as she continued to drown out the soft whistle of the wind with her laughing, "…but you didn't need to be so cruel about it…"

"Aww, cheer up, Neku!" she said, wiping away tears of mirth, "Sure, it was awfully weird, but… it's also the sweetest thing anyone's said to me in a long while!"

I stared at her, perplexed. "You don't mind being called a… a bowl of apples and oranges?" Hearing that got her in stitches again. Her abnormally loud laughter was driving away the seagulls and marine animals, and the remaining beach-goers had turned to look at us in alarm. She had to cling onto my shoulder to prevent herself from doubling up in total hysterics.

When she had calmed down, she still had that foolish but adorable grin. "Ha ha ha… s-sorry, Neku… I couldn't help myself… It's too cute! I love it!"

"You… You do?" I was more puzzled than anything.

"Yeah! I don't know why… it just cracked me up."

"Uh… Okay…"

"But Neku… thank you. You sure put in a lot of effort in that compliment… and I appreciate that."

She noticed! I charged into the whole thing blind but it looked like it worked just fine.

"However…" she warned, wrapping her bosom in her arms, "that doesn't mean you just got yourself a free pass to stare at my chest freely! Okay?"

"Um… sure…"

We turned back to the ocean, the evening sun setting beneath the horizon, casting warm sunlight across the clouds like liquid gold. The water shimmered serenely, the surface like a mirror. The roar of the waves was gentle and soothing as they lapped against the sand. I stole a quick look around us, and the beach was deserted. We were the only ones left.

Just the two of us… alone… in a romantic place at a romantic time… What could be more romantic than watching the sunset at the beach?

Shiki was fidgeting and fiddling with her fingers nervously. Apparently, she must have noticed it too… This energy that was binding us together…

Then a certain thing about this struck me as odd. If Shiki supposedly had neutral feelings towards me, why was she so edgy? Maybe she had never spent time alone with a boy before. But wasn't it strange for someone who had no qualms about confessing to her crush at school?

Whatever doubts and questions I had in the back of my mind disappeared when both of us happened to turn to each other at the same time. Our eyes were riveted to each other… locked in a meaningful gaze. Nothing was spoken… there was not even the slightest gesture or hint of body language. But in her brown eyes was reflected a growing feeling… a burgeoning desire… Looking at her marred my senses with temporary dizziness. I felt like fainting. Like falling. In love.

She mouthed my name, her voice silent. Her eyelids drooped half-closed.

If I wasn't mistaken, she was leaning towards me… slowly… Entranced by the passion of the moment, I did the same… And our faces drew closer…

But then we barely moved past the two-inch mark before a booming voice cut in, "Hey." We jumped and faced the source of our rude interruption in the form of a burly lifeguard.

"Hey, kids," he said, in a firm but polite way, "I hate to break things up but it's closing time at this here beach. Please pack up and leave the premises."

"O-Oh, sorry!" said Shiki, hurrying with me to gather up our belongings, "We didn't take note of the time."

"If you kids wanna have a neckin' you could always come back tomorrow," he smirked, that Kansai accent coming out rich and thick.

"We're not necking!" I protested, but he had walked away, chuckling to himself.

Shiki and I took a brief look at each other before sharply turning away, embarrassment being the order of the day, saying nothing else as we bundled up all our stuff and prepared to head back home.

XOXOXOXOXO

The bus ride back was fraught with awkwardness with a capital A. Shiki and I were sitting adjacent to each other, but neither of us dared to speak up during the entire 30 minute trip.

She just stared ahead of her, boring her eyes into the seat in front of her. If she wasn't doing that, then she was looking outside at all the buildings we were passing by. Everywhere she looked except at me. The atmosphere was so heavy and tense that it was a wonder even to me that neither of us jumped out of the bus screaming.

So hard to believe that we almost kissed… We were this close… Had that lifeguard not intervened we might actually have done it. But now that we were back to our senses, the realization of what we were at the brink of doing carved a gap between us. She wasn't mad. But I could tell she needed some space… and time to think about it.

I needed to ponder a bit more about the potential meaning that this little incident may have hidden. Shiki loved Ryusei, right? Sure, he turned her down, but she must still have some form of residual attraction for him, even if it had been reduced to just a tiny fraction… However, in her own words, she had said that I was "way cooler than Ryusei". What did it mean? Summer break was almost coming to an end, and we had gone on lots of 'dates' by now, but I was no closer to solving the enigma of Shiki Misaki than at the beginning when it all started. Was I a friend or more than a friend to her? I had absolutely no idea.

The biggest hint that she dropped – unknowingly or otherwise – was the kiss she almost gave me. You don't just kiss a friend on the lips and expect to get away with "Well, you're my pretend boyfriend, so isn't kissing something that lovers do? That includes us… in a way". Again, another mystery. What did it mean? !

How many times did I have to think in circles and arrive at nothing? It was frustrating me to no end. This was all so confusing and I didn't understand a darn thing. Hopefully, in time to come, I might be able to figure out something about Shiki, the girl whom I found so easy to relate to but so difficult to understand. Until I cracked her code, I was groping about in the dark.

We eventually alighted at Shibuya. The invisible barrier of intense quietness that seemed to separate us came down when she spoke. "Neku, thank you so much for today."

"Oh, you mean for taking you to the beach?"

"Yeah… It's been a while since I last went there," she mumbled sheepishly, turning pink, "I love swimming, you know… and… and I went swimming with you too… so that's nice…"

"Huh?" That last sentence was incredibly suggestive…

"Oh! Uh, don't be too surprised, Neku…" She cast a shy glance at me – such an adorable sight to behold. "You're my 'boyfriend', so it's only natural that we do… um, stuff together."

"S-Stuff? !" Now this was crossing from suggestive into the realm of positively seductive… I could think of a million things that could mean the "stuff" that she was talking about, and no thanks to my reptilian urges, all of them had a scandalous air about them. Just when I was about to think of the next craziest thing, she jabbed me in the forehead with her index finger. It stunned me for a moment, the effect of which was similar to hearing the news that street-talking Beat could in fact write proper sentences with proper grammar.

"Hoi, Neku, stop thinking dirty," she giggled, "Anyway, I'm really glad to spend time with you today."

"Same here." I flashed a grin.

"Maybe I'll give you another swimming lesson when the time is right."

"Ha ha ha… That would be nice." I could have jokingly added, "And if I drown, you can give me mouth-to-mouth," but chose to play safe.

Her discomfort from earlier had loosened up somewhat and she partially regained her old self. Perhaps now might be a good time to inquire about _that_ matter… After all, we were 'lovers', and lovers can talk about almost anything, right?

"Hey, Shiki, you know… I was wondering…" I cleared my throat.

"About what?" It's cute how she cocks her head to one side when she's curious…

I grew increasingly fidgety with each new word that came out of my mouth. Just a few words and I was already close to realizing a mental breakdown. "Shiki… You were about to… uh, kiss me just now… D-Did you mean it?"

She froze, gawking at me with a deer-in-the-headlights look. "Wh-When did you say I did what? !"

"You know… back at the beach, just before closing time… You were close to kissing me, and –"

"Um… I don't know what you're talking about," she snapped, stammering too much for her denial to be convincing. I pressed her a little more.

"Well, don't you remember? It was right before the lifeguard came… You were leaning in towards me… Were you serious about it?"

"I… I still have no clue about what you're trying to say," she insisted vehemently. The cherry-coloured tint that was fast spreading across her cheeks was quickly giving her game away, though. And she probably noticed this, because the next thing she blurted was, "A-Anyway! It's getting late and we should get back home now. I-I'll… I'll… I'll kiss you tomo – No, no! I mean I'll see you tomorrow!"

She shouted her goodbye over her shoulder as she scampered away at the speed of light. I had never seen her run that fast before…

I had to get my answers soon enough. All this beating about the bush was getting tiring. Confirmation! Confirmation that she loved me! That's all I wanted all this time. But I never got it. Even a flying pig was less elusive.

That night, the scene of her tilting into my face was the only thing I could think of. It never failed to excite me as she drew closer, but it was always at the last moment that the lifeguard appeared to spoil that romantic moment and shatter it into a million pieces. Then I would have to pick up those pieces, put them together and relive the experience again endlessly.

Shiki denied that she was trying to kiss me. But try as I might, there was nothing else I could interpret it as other than that. She… might be in love with me, huh? How nice that would be… How much nicer it would be to be sure of it.

Summer break was ending. I had to put an end to this mystery once and for all. The question was…

…how would I go about doing it?


	4. Chapter 4

**Pretend (Part 4)  
**by BrDPirateMan

My last few days of summer break were spent at home. Doing nothing. Couldn't think of anything to do. Homework was all done. All the chores that I promised I would do for my parents had been completed. Hanging out with Beat and Rhyme was impossible as they were away for the holidays. I had no idea where Eri was. And Shiki wouldn't answer my calls. Maybe she was afraid I would enquire about her feelings. I eventually gave up after the phone went unheeded for the fifth time… so there were no 'dates' for us for a while.

What an idiot I was… If I had not been so curious, this wouldn't have happened…

It was the last day, and the afternoon was going by at a slow pace. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, watching the fan swirl round and round. The digital clock let out a teeny squeak to signal the top of the hour, and when I looked, the hour was at the five. Almost evening…

What was it about the last day of school holidays that lent the very air a melancholy quality? It would be classes and homework and crazy teachers all over again tomorrow, but it wasn't like we wouldn't see each other again; school days could still be fun with my lot of friends.

So what was the cause of this overhanging, lingering sadness?

I could bet dollars to cents that Shiki was the centre of it all. That was how much I missed her. It had only been about a week and I missed her so much. There was a factor of urgency, too. Should any guy get his mitts on her before I did…

"That's it!" I said aloud, getting up in an instant. "No time to dawdle about now." I swiped my cell phone from the table and called her up, but just as I expected, she wouldn't answer. How frustrating!

But I was a tenacious one. Oh… I'd just pay her a surprise visit…

XOXOXOXOXO

I was packed to the brim with so much determination on the way to Shiki's home. Every step I took, I took it with pride. No more dilly-dallying. No more crippling shyness. I had a purpose, and I was going to see it through.

But when I was finally at her doorstep, however, I became something akin to a trembling little child as all the confidence that I had been building up petered away into nothing. There was a vast empty hole where it used to be. The fright had returned from the grave to wreak havoc on me again. I tried to free myself from its chains, but they were strong.

There were so many questions in my head, but I had answers to none of them.

_What should I say?_

_Where should I go with her for this date?_

_Do I try to pry further into her feelings, or wait and see?_

_Or should I even… _confess to her?

_Could I? Should I? Must I? How should I know? !_

The searing ringtone from my phone suddenly slashed through the air like an invisible knife. Yanked from my chain of thoughts so rudely, I jumped two feet into the air. I quickly answered it, but it turned out to be a wrong number – one of life's pet peeves, especially when it had to happen at such a crucial moment!

I paced up and down in front of Shiki's doorstep to calm my frazzled nerves. Then it occurred to me that it was close to six in the evening. Oh boy, it'd have to be a date at night, it'd seem. But this was no time to be unsure of myself!

My closed hand hovered mere inches from the wooden door, poised to knock. The approach was slow and agonizing. It took forever to move a single millimeter. After what seemed like a million years, and when I was about to rap the door with my knuckles, it suddenly opened by itself.

The person who opened it poked out her head.

"Sh-Sh-Shiki!" I yelped, fumbling and panicking. She giggled at my outburst.

"Neku, just what were you doing out there?" she asked, thoroughly amused.

"Oh! Um… I…" What could I say? "I was passing through the neighbourhood…"

"You were pacing up and down for what reason exactly?"

"Huh? ! H-How did you know I was…? !"

To that she replied, with a very noticeable smirk, "I heard your ringtone blaring outside my door, as well as you talking to someone, so I went over to take a gander through the peephole. That's when I saw you walking to and fro, looking so worried."

I just stared at her in disbelief as she continued, "I thought I'd watch to see what you were up to. And when you took ages to knock on my door, it was hilarious! It was hard trying not to laugh!" She had to prop herself against the doorway as she guffawed so she wouldn't fall to the floor in pieces. Well, my obvious embarrassment aside, at least she was in a pretty good mood. It was like she had forgotten about what happened at the beach. I wouldn't bring it up if there was no need to…

"Uh… Shiki…"

"Ha ha ha ha… Oh… Oh, sorry. I couldn't help it… Yeah?"

"Well, I hate to take the roundabout route, so… are you free right now?"

"I guess so," she said, "Need anything?"

"Yeah. One last date."

She gasped and suddenly all the left-over laughter disappeared altogether. "Um…" She was uncharacteristically hesitant, reaching for the cuff of her shirt to play with in her fingers. "It's a pretend date, right?"

No, Shiki, I love you and we're dating for real. That's what I wanted so badly to say, but… it wasn't the right time. "It'd seem that way." I gave her a slight smile. Sensing her indecisiveness, I added, "We don't need to do this date if you don't want to… I understand it's the day before school reopens and you might be busy preparing for tomorrow."

The stupor that fell over Shiki was finally broken. "N-No! I'm… I'm not doing anything at the moment. I… I can hang out with you… for a little while. Just let me get changed and I'll pop back out in a minute."

She went back inside and closed the door to get dolled up. I leaned against the wall in the corridor outside, thinking deeply. I've had enough of dodging around the issue. It was time to take aim and strike the bull's-eye of Shiki's heart.

The thing is, I had just crashed into this whole thing without thinking it through. What will I say and do? I hadn't decided…

XOXOXOXOXO

"Where are you taking me, Neku?" asked Shiki as we were walking side by side through the bustling streets of Shibuya.

"Miyashita Park would be nice," I replied, though to be honest, I hadn't even decided on our destination beforehand. I just thought of it seconds ago. Good thing I had a quick mind… "It's quiet there at this time of the day and we can watch the sunset together."

Apparently overwhelmed, all she said was a barely audible "Oh…" I could almost feel the heat seeping from her red face.

We arrived at the park just in time to witness the last strands of sunlight filter through the clouds, casting painted shadows on the evening sky. The park was one of the more open areas of Shibuya, with fewer buildings around to obstruct our view, so we could get a good look at the heavens. We found ourselves a fine spot to observe the beauty of nature.

"What do you think?" I asked her.

"Wow…" she breathed, completely in awe, "I've been around Miyashita Park so many times, but never once did it occur to me that this would be a great place for sunset-watching. It's gorgeous, Neku."

"It's one of my favourite places to chill and relax. When life's getting tough or I need to wind down and relax, this is where I go."

"Really?"

"Yeah…"

"Then… Then there's a good reason you brought me here?"

Ooh… She's a sharp one. Wouldn't this be the perfect place to make a romantic confession? The two of us standing together alone in the backdrop of a beautiful sunset… what could be more perfect than this?

My hands were getting clammy and my heartbeat was rising exponentially. This was it. There was no turning back. I had come this far, and I wasn't about to let this opportunity slide. Not on my watch.

"You're right, Shiki. I did bring you here for a reason."

"Huh?"

I placed my hands on both of her shoulders, looking deeply into her eyes. It was hard to tell if she was blushing because of the orange glow of the sun on her skin, but she did appear surprised at my actions. _Come on, Neku,_ I told myself, _Say those magic words… You can do it._

"Shiki… I… I…"

I could feel her twitching restlessly underneath my fingertips. "N-Neku?"

"I… I love…"

Her eyes grew wide. Her pulse was racing. I was sure of it. I could even imagine it.

Alas, at the final moment, my cowardice got the better of me, and I pulled back. "Well, I really love… the… the onigiri you cook, Shiki! It's great!"

She blinked at me, bewildered. "Oh… um… really?"

"Y-Yeah! Honest! It's the best thing ever!" No! That's not what I wanted to say!

"Is… Is that so…? I see…"

Something about her unenthusiastic response suggested disappointment, like she was expecting to hear something else – maybe it was the downcast eyes, or the way her shoulders slumped. I should have known better than to cobble together a fake compliment so haphazardly. Being a smart girl, she could easily see through it.

I praised her a little more about her culinary skills to try and cover up for my bungled confession, but she didn't seem to acknowledge any of what I said. We went back to watching the sun descend into the cityscape. Wordlessly and uneasily.

Why did I have to be like this? I was beating myself up for this. Why couldn't I just say it out? Why did I have to keep being scared? "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" was one of the phrases I had been repeating to myself over and over to prep myself for the big moment, but nothing came out of it. Frustration and regret tinged my otherwise splendid evening. I was angry with myself. And when I glanced over at Shiki, who was staring pointedly at the sunset with that sad look on her face, my spirit was mashed into a pulp. I wasn't supposed to make her feel this way, dammit!

We stood there, unmoving, as though if we tensed a single muscle then everything would go wrong in this world. The whole affair was simply too awkward no thanks to me. Should I apologise? How could I apologise when she would argue that there was nothing to be sorry about? Should I praise her some more? No, that would be horribly inappropriate. Not doing what to do next… it was killing me, like my insides were being cut into numerous ribbons. I'd rather take a hundred blows to the face than to experience the emotional devastation this kind of soul-crushing feeling could produce.

Eventually the last few rays of light dissipated and made way for the night. Shiki spoke up at last, but the voice that came out was a shadow of her normally jovial tone. "Well, it's getting late, Neku…" The Shiki I know and love had an infectious cheeriness that made her seem greater than life, but right now, she seemed so small and insignificant that simply looking at her cut a deep gash in my heart.

"It was fun watching the sunset with you, Neku," she said softly, forcing a smile, "I'll have to get back home or my parents would get mad at me. Anyway, thanks for everything."

Shiki…

"Hey, you know?" she added, adjusting her glasses for the fifth time in a minute, "I just realised that this is your last day as my 'boyfriend'. If I made you feel strange or anything, I'm sorry. But I also want to properly thank you for all the good times we shared together. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and that's the truth. So… thanks. You're such a fantastic friend."

"Ah… um, don't mention it," was all I could say, the words rattling in my dry throat.

"…Bye." She turned away, but with a slowness so painful it suggested she didn't want to leave… Like she had something to say… Something that she really, really wanted to say, but couldn't.

All of a sudden it came blazing back to me. Her behaviour now… it reminded me of my own spinelessness. For the past few months shortly after the Reapers' Game, I had always wanted to convey what I was really feeling for her. But I never did. I was too scared. Frightened of failure, as it were. Just like her now. She was dying to spit it out, but fear was holding her back, much like how it did the same for me before.

If anyone was going to change the ending of this story of our lives, it would be me. And, finally freeing myself from the binds of doubt, I went for it!

With an abnormally loud voice, I called out, "Shiki!"

She jumped in surprise, stopped dead in her tracks, and swiveled round to face me.

"Shiki, wait."

I walked up to her, saying, "Hey, Shiki. Um… you said that this is my last day as your 'boyfriend', right?"

"Uh-huh…"

"Is… Is that how it works?"

"What do you mean?" Her confusion took an edge off of her sadness.

"Does it have to end today? My time as your 'boyfriend', I mean."

She shifted in her steps, glancing away from me and biting her lip. One hand was clutching her other arm by the elbow, squeezing it uncomfortably. "Yeah… I did say 'over summer break', so I guess we'll be back to being just friends tomorrow." Did she just heave a sigh?

"But… But… Shiki, what if… we don't have to go back to being friends?"

She looked horrified. "Huh? !"

"Sorry, that came out all wrong," I quickly added, fearing a gross misinterpretation on Shiki's part, "What I mean is… can't we, you know, keep dating and stuff? It's… actually kinda fun, you know."

If Shiki was feeling relief, it certainly wasn't visible. Not when there was a gigantic blush on her face – so adorable. But, dumbfounded beyond words, she couldn't say anything. It was up to me to keep the momentum going.

"We called them pretend dates," I continued, developing a facial redness myself, "but over the course of our holidays, I realised something. I… I want to get closer to you. I want to know you better. We're so close, and I know a good deal about you by now, but… there's… there's still so much still swimming about in the unknown. Uh, I mean…" This wasn't going as well as I had hoped… Wasn't I starting to sound like a stalker instead?

I pulled the collar of my hoodie, instantly getting a rush of hot air to the face. "L-Look, never mind about that. What's important is… is… I want to date you for real!"

Shiki simply stood there, unable to respond out of shock. But in her eyes, there was this gleam… Did it mean happiness?

"And Shiki, I don't mean dating as pretend lovers… I figured I could be your real boyfriend instead of a pretend one… so… uh…"

Suddenly and unexpectedly, she lurched straight at me and wrapped her arms around my neck in a tight hug. Before the reality of the situation crossed my mind, she spoke first. "Neku… Are you asking us to… go out?"

"Y-Yes, of course…"

"So then… we wouldn't be pretending anymore, would we?"

"No, we'll _really_ be dating, if that's fine with you."

"You're going to be my real boyfriend?"

"Yeah, I really want to!"

Shiki nuzzled her head in my shoulder. I discerned a genuine smile in her gentle voice. "Then could I ask you to be my _real_ boyfriend a little longer? Like, say… forever?"

That's when I understood. I hugged her back, caressing her hair. "You know it, Shiki."

We stayed in that warm embrace, filled with love developed from a strong friendship. In such an isolated place as Miyashita Park, the darkness of the night was unsettling. But together, we felt like we could protect each other and overcome anything, come rain or shine. Almost as though we were bathed in our own light. My heart was singing with joy.

I had finally accomplished the impossible. And what do you know, she actually reciprocated my feelings. This was a day worth celebrating! Shiki was in my arms, and I vowed never to let her slip through my fingers again. I would always be there for her… forever…

"I was sad when you told me you loved my onigiri," she said, though with a grin, "because I was expecting you to say you love me instead."

"I'm sorry, Shiki… I was too scared and got cold feet. And if I knew you were in love with me too, I'd have confessed my feelings to you sooner. Then you wouldn't have had to deal with Ryusei and get hurt."

Shiki looked confused and she broke the hug apart. "Huh?"

"Um… you know… you were in love with him, right?"

"I… I was in love with who? Who's Ryusei?"

What? ! How could she forget about the first boy she fell in love with? She confessed to him, for goodness' sake! But wait… what if the incident of him rejecting her left such a deep scar in her, that she forgot about it in self-defense? Sometimes, people block out bad memories in that way, and then all that's left, if at all, is an insignificant inkling of what had happened to them that triggered the memory loss in the first place.

Could this be what had happened to her? Did she forget about Ryusei unconsciously?

"R-Remind me again?" she said, her brows knitted together. "Ryusei, was it?"

If I reminded her now about him, I might invoke the trauma that she had suffered. Perhaps I should stay silent.

"Oh, hey, don't worry about it, Shiki," I said, waving the matter away as quickly as I could, "It's no big deal. Sometimes I say things that make no sense. Ha ha…"

"Ryusei… Ryusei…" She was uttering the name over and over, eyes askance as though thinking hard. She was trying to recall… but I didn't want that. Just as I was about to stop her, however, she gasped, "Oh! Now I remember!"

Uh-oh… What have I done?

With a widening smile, she giggled, "Ah… about this… You don't need to worry about a thing. You see… I never confessed to Ryusei."

"Huh?" She didn't tell Ryusei that she loved him? "You… Wait. If you loved him, then… why didn't you confess? You did say that you wanted to do that, you know."

"There are two things wrong with that assumption, Neku," she said, unable to stop chuckling, "One, I never fell in love with him…"

"You never did? !"

"…because two, I couldn't."

The mystery grew thicker. "What do you mean, 'you couldn't'?" Her two reasons made no sense!

"Ha ha ha… It's simple, really. Do you really want to know the true reason, though? Are you prepared to know the truth? It may come as something of a shock."

"I…" What if the truth was something I didn't want to learn? Something terrible about Shiki… What if, beneath her sweet personality and unending care, was a tragic past? But if it was tragic, she wouldn't be smiling…

Nonetheless, I wanted to know. I told her, determination in my voice, "Yes, I want to know everything."

"Okay, then brace yourself," she said, stifling her laughter as much as she could. Why was she laughing anyway? "I couldn't have fallen in love with Ryusei, nor have confessed to him, because…

…he doesn't exist."

"Huh? ! D-Doesn't exist? !" What's this about? !

"It's just like I said, Neku. There's no such person as Ryusei. He's a character that I made up all by myself."

And as I stood there, staring at her like an idiot, she finally gave in to her urges and burst into uproarious laughter. She slapped my arm in her fits of mirth, but I didn't notice the pain. I was too dumbstruck to. Ryusei was… not a real person at all? He was an _imaginary character?_ All I wanted to know was… why? Why would she do such a thing as to lie that she confessed to a person who never even existed in the first place?

It was after a good while that she finally managed to stop. The goofy grin on her face stayed, though. "Neku, I'm so sorry I deceived you, ha ha… I think it's time I told you the whole story."

And so she did. It was the most astonishing thing I had ever heard. I clung to every word like a greedy ant to honey.

She began, "I've always been in love with you, Neku. More than anything, I wanted you to love me back. But… I had no idea of knowing if you saw me as just a friend, or as something more.

"I was at my wit's end. I could have just come out and told you, but I was frightened. The fear that you might not love me had been holding me back."

So she was just like me… Turned out both of us wanted so badly to confess to each other but simply didn't dare to. The possibility of rejection was a strong deterrent indeed.

"I had to know one way or another about your feelings," she continued, her words rich with emotion, "I came up with all sorts of ways, but they weren't any good. Near the beginning of summer break, however, I struck upon an idea…"

I had a pretty good idea where she was going with this.

She gave a small "pfft" that suggested impending laughter. As though she could read my thoughts, she said, "That's right… I created Ryusei out of thin air and purposely told you I was in love with him to see what your reaction was. I figured I might be able to see if you were… jealous or something." She cupped her mouth to hide her giggling.

"J-Jealous?" This girl's scheme was getting more and more bizarre with each new tidbit of information.

"Yeah. And if you're jealous, that would mean that you _do_ like me, right?"

"I… I can't deny that… I did feel a tinge of… disappointment."

"Sorry about doing that to you, Neku. Heh heh." She stroked my arm in a soothing way. "You definitely felt terrible when I broke the news to you. I could tell from your body language and the way you avoided me the week before summer break began."

It was true that I didn't want to walk home together with her after school because it was too painful to.

"And it was then that I was sure I had a chance with you, Neku. However, I wasn't completely convinced, so I kept up the act. I pretended to carry on being in love with Ryusei up until the time I told you that he 'rejected' me. Incidentally, I had almost completely forgotten about him because all I could think of was moving on to the next step of my grand plan.

"It was necessary for me to be doubly sure about where your feelings for me lay even in light of the events that unfolded. To do that, I had to get closer to you… And so, I asked you for a certain favour…"

I immediately knew what she was going to talk about. "And that favour was for me to be your 'boyfriend', right?"

"Bingo! Gold star for you, Neku," she said. "It was the only way. But before you misunderstand me, I honestly enjoyed all of the times we shared together. Seriously, I wished they were real dates instead of pretend ones."

She looked away, twiddling with her fingers, the blush on her face deepening. My face was growing hot too. How could it not? Just imagine… we were actually deeply in love with each other the whole time. We just never knew it! Fate works in strange ways.

And on another note, I gotta admit, this girl was craftier than I gave her credit for. She totally outsmarted me with her cunning plan!

"Over the course of the summer," she breathed, her face so red I feared she might faint, "we went out so many times. Every moment we shared together I treasured so much. It took me a lot of courage each time I wanted to ask you out on another one of our pretend dates, but it was always worth it. With each new day I grew more and more convinced that you did love me. I was a total believer after we went to the beach. Remember that day?"

"Yeah…" The memory of it was as fresh as the day it was made. Shiki and I had almost kissed. It was so close…

"I took a big risk back there, attempting to kiss you. Honestly, I was afraid you might push me away in shock, but the fact that you didn't…" She looked away out of embarrassment. "…cemented my beliefs that you had fallen for me as much as I did for you."

"Shiki…" All along my fears had been unfounded. Had I asked her to be my girlfriend early on, she would definitely have said yes. On hindsight, it was funny how things worked out.

But there were… more urgent matters to take care of. I gently grasped Shiki by the shoulders, causing her to take notice. As she tilted her head to gaze straight into my soul, and her hands were pressed onto my chest lightly, that was when I knew our hearts were connected. Nothing else mattered. Everything faded into a blur. All we cared about was each other.

My arms circled around her back as we moved in towards each other. Her eyes fluttered shut, and her face was serene and beautiful. Our doubts were cleared up, our fears were all but gone, and the anxiety of an uncertain future had vanished. Without trying, without awkward insecurity, both of us leaned in and our lips touched, moving together in perfect harmony. The sensation was unbelievable. Now I knew why people loved kissing so much. It was that good. There was nothing better I could have asked for.

For a long time we stayed trapped in that romantic embrace, losing ourselves in the passion of the moment. The journey had been a long winding one, and we had reached the end, only to encounter the beginning of another journey: the blossoming of our love life. We took our time savouring the sweet taste in our mouths. After all, both of us deserved it.

When we broke for air, Shiki spoke first, her voice soft and gentle like a warm summer breeze. "Oh, Neku… this is perfect."

"Yeah… Ha ha… Damn, why didn't we do this sooner?" Her soft hair was so soothing to the touch.

"I bet you still can't believe that the whole affair was pre-meditated…"

"It turned out well, though, didn't it, Shiki?"

"That goes without saying…honey."

I grinned. "Hey, you called me 'honey'!"

"I really mean it this time. I love you, Neku." She moved in for another kiss. We sighed into each other's mouths.

"I love you too, Shiki." Then I asked, "By the way, Shiki, just out of curiosity… exactly when did you start falling in love with me?"

Her cheeks were tinted a rosy hue. "Ever since I found out that I was your entry fee in the Reapers' Game."

From that long ago? That's about six months! After all, at the beginning of this very tale, I had said, _It's been half a year since the Reapers' Game, and life has never been better._

She continued, "I know you'd always been dependable, but to know that I became the most precious thing to you… Well, you really swept me off my feet back there, Neku. Hee hee!"

Fate is both weird and wonderful. And you know what? It's a good thing.

XOXOXOXOXO

Quite a tale, wouldn't you say?

My love life with Shiki would be a colourful and memorable one. It wasn't perfect, though, like all relationships are. We occasionally had our little squabbles and there were times when a misunderstanding would raise its ugly head and we would dislike each other for a while. But we always found a way to kiss and make up and become a happy couple again. It was as normal as normal gets, but even without the fairy-tale stuff, we were and still are happy to have each other.

She still teases me whenever she gets the chance. Harmless jokes about a number of things that perhaps you should… wait till you're older before you can safely understand.

"Neku! Try to keep up!" Shiki berated me as I struggled to catch up with her. I was holding a plethora of shopping bags in both of my hands and simply walking was a chore. Who would have thought clothes could weigh so much?

"Easy for you to say!" I retorted, "You're not carrying anything!"

"Yeah, but you agreed to do anything for our six-month anniversary! So here you are."

"But this time is different! You tricked me into doing this! You hoodwinked me!"

"Ohohoho! Is that so?" she laughed victoriously.

Eventually I had to rest my tired limbs at a bench. Her bags were clustered all around me like a family of cats. It was absurd how many bags there were. Shiki shook her head, gesturing in exaggerated disappointment.

"The human body has its limits, Shiki," I panted.

"Then the limits of your body are pretty pathetic."

"Girl, I need a break."

After a few seconds of thinking, she ordered me, "Stay here. I'll be back in five minutes."

Whatever was she up to now?

Exactly five minutes later she returned toting yet another shopping bag, though it was mercifully smaller this time.

"I'm guessing you'll want me to carry that," I droned, robot-like.

"Nah, I'll be taking this one," she said.

"Great. Why don't you help me out a little here too?"

She held up the bag she was holding, dangling it lazily from her fingers. "You know, this is a new bra that I bought from that _Lacy Temptations_ lingerie store just behind you, Neku. The latest of its kind. It's got this maximiser thingy and a lacy design which I think is cute."

"Your point being?"

"I was thinking of wearing it and showing it off to you when I next visit you," she deadpanned, "but you know, if you're soooo uncooperative with my shopping spree, I may just have to return this–"

Really? ! I immediately shot up to my feet, nearly causing her to jump out of her skin.

"What can I do for you, ma'am!" I snapped, with a knowing smile.

She laughed, poking my forehead affectionately. "Boys will be boys!"

Of course, I never minded her jokes. I like it when she's funny like that.


End file.
